Once Home To "Shroud Of Turin", Now Houses Famous Byzantine "Madonna"

Santuario di Montevergine
Mercogliano, Avellino, Italy

Mercogliano, a hillside town about 30 miles (50 kliks) east of and a world away from Naples, Italy, sits below the famous mountain-top abbey: Santuario di Montevergine. The abbey of Montevergine has been the site of religious orders dating back to the 12th Century and sits almost 5,000 above the base of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples. It was reportedly the hiding place of the Shroud of Turin during World War II (behind the massive altar) and is home to the massive and celebrated Byzantine painting on wood of the “Madonna” (Blessed Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus).

Entry to the abbey is free and the highlight is the Byzantine Madonna which consumes one wall of the chapel in which it is housed at the back of the main church. The church itself is unremarkable, but the exterior of the abbey is picturesque and the view of Avellino and the valley below is breathtaking.

CombatCritic Gives Santuario di Montevergine 8 Out Of 10 Bombs

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Title:  Once Home To “Shroud Of Turin”, Now Houses Famous Byzantine “Madonna”

Key Words: CombatCritic, Italy, Mercogliano, Montevergine, santuario, santuario do montevergine, monte, vergine, virgine, TravelValue, travel, value, hilltop, mountain, abbey, free, 

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A Bit Dated, But Otherwise Excellent Value If Visiting Montevergine

Hotel Mercurio

Viale San Modestino, 7

83013 Mercogliano, Italy

Prices: $$$$$

Wanting to visit the Santuario di Montevergine, we found a good price on a “Booking” website and made a reservation for a Friday night at just €40 for a double room, including breakfast, at the base of the mountain in the town of Mercogliano and a 20-minute drive to the Abbey of Montevergine.

Mercogliano is a quaint, quiet hillside town about 30 miles (50 kliks) and a world away from Naples, Italy, very close to the famous abbey. Montevergine has been the site of religious orders dating back to the 12th Century and sits almost 5,000 above the base of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples. It was reportedly the hiding place of the Shroud of Turin during World War II and is home to the massive and celebrated Byzantine painting on wood of the “Madonna” (Blessed Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus).

Hotel Mercurio is clean, but a bit dated in architecture and furnishings, reminiscent of the 1970s. The staff were friendly and very helpful, giving excellent directions and recommendations for meals and shopping. The restaurant next door, Pizzeria La Tavernetta, was outstanding and very reasonably priced, garnering 10 out of 10 “Bombs” by this critic. We were given a nice size room with a balcony and a view of the valley below, nearby Avellino, and the mountains in the distance. The bathroom, on the other hand, was small and a bit cramped, making it somewhat difficult for a moderate sized person to shower and use the toilet.

The only complaints I have were the surprise parking charge that I later found out was hidden in the small print on the booking website’s confirmation and the “indoor pool” which was actually a community pool a half-block’s walk from the hotel. There is no street parking nearby and the lot across the street is free, but only for two hours, so we paid the minimal fee of €5 for the convenience and security of indoor parking under the hotel.

Breakfast was decent, your typical Italian selections, including choice of coffee (cappuccino, caffe latte, espresso, Americano, etc.), yogurts, cereals, juices and water, bread rolls, salami and cheese, and cornetti, a Southern Italian croissant filled with various crèmes and jams. They have a large dining room, but being a beautiful early-June morning we chose to sit on the veranda overlooking the tennis courts, valley, and mountains. Breakfast is served from 7am (although the server was a little late that morning) to 10am, a reasonable period to expect breakfast.

Hotel Mercurio is an excellent value, providing clean accommodations and very good service at a very reasonable price.

CombatCritic Gives Hotel Mercurio 7 Bombs Out Of 10 With Deductions For The Hidden Parking Charge, Community Pool, and Dated Look … More Bombs Are Better!

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Title: A Bit Dated, But Otherwise Excellent Value If Visiting Montevergine

Key Words:  Hotel Mercurio, hotel, albergo, Mercurio, Montevergine, abbey, mountain, Avellino, Viale San Modestino, 83013, Mercogliano, Italy, CombatCritic, TravelValue, review

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Mountain Lyon Cafe … Best Breakfast in Summit County!

Piercing deep blue eyes the color of Arizona turquoise, a warm inviting smile on a winter’s day, Brook, a native of St Louis, Missouri said “welcome to the Mountain Lyon, I’ll be your server” within seconds of our sitting down in the booth by the front window. Serving only breakfast and lunch, the Mountain Lyon Café is a “locals” hang-out with stick-to-your-ribs, home cooked meals, and efficient, friendly service.

I feel like a local, having frequented this lively restaurant for many years, their breakfast is hard to beat in the Dillon/Silverthorne/Frisco area. I always seem to end up with the Ultimate Skillet ($8.95), an iron skillet loaded with home fried potatoes, 3 eggs any way you like them, tomatoes, green bell pepper, onions, mushrooms, bacon, ham, and sausage, all smothered with country gravy and melted cheddar cheese. A fluffy buttermilk biscuit (muffin or toast also available) accompanied my skillet and would only have been better had there been a dollup of country gravy on top.

Mountain Lyon Cafe has pretty much everything you could imagine available for breakfast and lunch, from French toast to French fries, omelets to burgers, pancakes to pickles, you get the picture. One thing I did not see on the menu that I was craving was a chili and cheese omelet, plain old chili with no beans and lots of shredded cheddar cheese encased in a fluffy three egg delight! But alas, there were none:(

The Mountain Lyon is as much an experience as it is a meal with hoards of interesting locals and a few odd tourists of every size and disposition imaginable, with stories as long and varied as the people telling them. I shall return again if for nothing else but to see Brook with those big blue eyes and have her say “Welcome back to the Mountain Lyon Chris!”.

CombatCritic Gives Mountain Lyon Cafe 9 Out of 10 Bombs … BOMBS ARE GOOD!

Key Words: Mountain Lion Cafe, mountain, lion, lyon, cafe, Silverthorne, Colorado, Dillon, Frisco, breakfast, lunch, eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy, CombatCritic, TravelValue, combat, travel, value